


Legacy

by Luthorchickv2



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-14
Updated: 2011-11-14
Packaged: 2017-10-26 01:38:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/277144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luthorchickv2/pseuds/Luthorchickv2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gideon leaves something for Reid. Reid gets an envelope and decides to investigate on his own. Hotch is not amused.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Legacy

**Author's Note:**

> General spoilers for season 1-3. Takes place directly after Gideon leaves.
> 
> -This operates in the same verse as “Components of a Modern Family” but takes place before Aaron and Reid are together.  
> -Gideon’s letter to Reid is taken right from the episodes 3.01 and 3.02 but missing a few lines in order to make this make sense.  
> -Just as an aside, Hotch is the freaking man. I mean really. From shooting an unsub on a moving train from a moving car to profiling the defense attorney in court, he is the freaking man!  
> -Much love to S for the amazing beta job!

The envelope was resting on Spencer Reid’s desk when he returned from Milwaukee.

There was no return address and the postmarked was smudged. It wasn’t dangerous if it had come to his desk at work. The mailroom would have checked it. His mother never sent him anything at work, too worried that the FBI ‘fascists’ would tamper with the mail. All of the mail related to his academic publishing went to his apartment. It was odd, actually, that anything would come to the office. He pulled open his desk drawer to get his scissors and gently inserted one blade into the corner of the envelope. A quick flick and it was open.

He turned it over and dumped the contents out on to his desk. A single folded piece of paper slid out with an even smaller envelope. Leaving the smaller envelope alone for the moment he picked up the piece of paper. The paper had an unfamiliar Virginia address in boldface type. He brought up a map of Virginia in his mind and after doing some calculations saw that the address to about two hours away from Quantico. Spencer put down the paper thoughtfully and picked up the smaller envelope. A key spilled out onto his hand. Who would send him an address and keys? The barest hint of an idea flickered through his mind and he had to know. He could ask Garcia, but he needed to get out of the office, the stress of Hotch’s suspension and probable transfer were overwhelming and he needed answers. He grabbed his messenger bag and the key leaving the address on the desk and headed to his car.

**  
Aaron Hotchner looked up from his paper work and through the blinds of his office window. He could see the bullpen from here and every so often he would look up and check on his agents, counting them, making sure they were okay. This was more important to him now more then ever because Jason was gone. It’s not that they needed looking after but it settled something in him to look out and see Morgan procrastinating at the coffee station chatting with other agents from other teams, J.J. in her office, ever-upbeat, determinedly plowing through piles of work, Prentiss hunched over her desk twirling a pen through her fingers, shooting envious looks at Reid, who … was not at his desk. Reid would normally be at his desk reading some textbook, having finished his report before the others.

He wasn’t there.

Aaron frowned and stood heading out to bullpen.

“Has anyone seen Reid?”

Prentiss looked up. “He said he was leaving a little early, his finished report is on his desk.

“That’s not like him. Did something happen?” Aaron said as he walked over to Reid’s desk. On it was an opened unmarked envelope and a piece of paper with a familiar address on it.

Jason’s one rule about the cabin was that no one was to know where it was. It was his escape, his safe haven. Aaron, however, had asked Jason to tell him just in case something happened reasoning that at least one person should know.

There was no way Reid would drive two hours by himself to an unfamiliar address that could belong to anyone, except, Reid had the least common sense of anyone else he knew. If he thought that going to this address would give him answers…

Prentiss peered over his shoulder. “What’s that?”

Aaron closed his fist around the paper. “Gideon’s cabin. He’s gone after Gideon.”

Morgan and Prentiss exchanged looks.

“I’m going after him. If something comes up text me. The service is spotty where I’m headed but a text should get through.” Aaron was grabbing his keys from his office when Morgan cleared his throat from the doorway.

“Maybe this is something he needs to do by himself. I mean, he never got a chance to deal with his father’s abandonment. And we know his relationship with Gideon was at least somewhat paternal.”

“Morgan, Reid went to an address that he didn’t know, and that was delivered in an unmarked envelope, without telling anyone where he was going. Are you saying we should brush that off?” He arched an eyebrow.

“Yeah okay, give him hell, but gently. He hasn’t had an easy time lately.” Morgan smiled sadly, and stepped out to let Aaron through his office door.

**  
:Two hours later:

It was dark by the time Spencer pulled up to the cabin. He was relieved to be right, to find that the address had been Gideon’s.

It appeared to be empty. He slowly got out of the car and made his way up to the weathered porch. The door had a glass panes set into a white frame and Spencer took special care to knock gently.

“Gideon?” He looked around the front of the house and back to the glass panes.

As expected there was no answer. He fumbled in his pockets and pulled out the envelope with the key. It fit the lock and Spencer slowly pushed it open.

The darkness was punctuated by small slants of moonlight though not nearly enough to keep him from stumbling and knocking into a table. A lamp rattled and he steadied it and himself with a hand against the base and turned it on. Light illuminated the room, chasing shadows from empty bookshelves and an empty kitchen. On the dining room table were a gun, badge, and envelope resting on a stack of papers.

Spencer slowly walked over to the table, eyes glued to the gun. Perhaps he should he grateful that it was just a gun and badge and not Gideon’s dead body. There was a chair pulled out at the table inviting him to sit while he read the letter. The envelope held several sheets of torn out notebook paper which he unfolded and began to read.

“Spencer,  
I’m sorry the explanation couldn’t be better, Spencer, and I’m sorry that it doesn’t make more sense but I’ve already told you, I just don’t understand any of it anymore…”

**  
Aaron could see Reid’s car parked outside the cabin as he drove up. It was parked near the porch of the cabin. There was light shining from the windows over the porch and from the open door. His heart stopped. What if it had been a trap?

He eased out of his car and leaving the door ajar, not wanting to startle an unsub if it was a trap.

He peered around the corner through the open door gun in hand and took stock of the situation. Reid was sitting at a table reading a letter. There was no one else in the cabin.

Aaron was going to throttle him.

“Reid,” he said softly, not wanting to startle the younger man.

Reid jumped, dropping the letter. His hand went to the gun resting on the table but he recognized Aaron’s voice before he could pick it up.

“Hotch! What are you doing here?” His nervousness showed in his inability to keep his hands still. There was a loose yarn hanging off of his sweater sleeve that he started worrying. Those long, slender fingers would pull at the yarn, wrap it around the tip of a finger before unraveling it and beginning again.

Aaron entered the cabin and shut the door. “I thought I would follow one of my agents who exercised no common sense and went to an unfamiliar address with no backup without telling anyone where he went. Reid, what were you thinking? I’m inclined to think that you weren’t.”

“Hotch” Reid started but Aaron spoke over him. He was angry, furious even. How dare Reid take his safely so lightly, didn’t he know how important he is? How necessary to the team he was? How necessary to Aaron he was?

“You come to an empty cabin without telling anyone where you went, you don’t bring your gun with you. Don’t think I don’t recognize Jason’s gun. You leave the door open with your back to it. Are you asking to be the BAU’s next case file?” Aaron holstered his gun and made his way over to the table.

“I’m sorry Hotch; I just needed answers. I could have handled it better but I needed to do this on my own. I can take care of myself. Or do you not remember who shot Philip Dowd?” Spencer turned back to the table and slumped further into the chair, fingering the letter.

“So, did you get answers?” Aaron leaned his hip on to the table.

“Gideon left me this letter and there are some other papers that I haven’t looked at yet.” He handed Aaron the letter and picked up the other papers as Aaron read.  
**  
Spencer frowned, and read through the papers again. It didn’t quite make sense. They seemed to be a set of documents relating to the cabin.

He looked up to see Hotch just finishing the letter.

“Hotch?” He waited for theolder man to look up, staring at the lock of black hair that had flopped the older man’s dark eyes. He pulled his thoughts away from his unattainable boss and shoved the papers in front of Hotch.

“What’s this?” Hotch picked up the papers.

Spencer toyed with his fingers as he waited for Hotch to glance through them.

“Reid,” Hotch started a few minutes later, “Gideon signed his cabin over to you. You now own this cabin.”

“I know,” Spencer said. “Why would he do that? What do I do with a cabin?” He stood, and started pacing. It was beyond him that someone would give him something on this scale.

“He thought- thinks- the world of you Spencer. He can’t be here to mentor you, for whatever reason, but I think he wanted to leave you something of himself. He loved this cabin, it was home to him in a way that his house in Quantico never was. I think he wanted to give you a home, an escape. Maybe he didn’t want to leave you alone, without support, like your father did. I don’t really know. Gideon never does something for just one reason. As to what you do with it? You can sell it, keep it, it’s not a decision you need to make right now.” Hotch put down the papers and caught Spencer’s arm as he was passing the table.

Spencer looked at the hand holding his elbow, and followed the line of Hotch’s arm upwards until he got to his face. “It’s not a set of books Hotch, it’s a house.”

“I know, Spencer. Don’t think about it tonight, as I said, this can wait for a little while; It’s been a long couple of days. We should head back. You can think about it tomorrow.” Hotch released his arm and straightened the papers before grabbing Gideon’s badge and gun.

Spencer nodded. Yes it could wait. Maybe Gideon didn’t mean it; maybe Spencer was just supposed to keep an eye on the cabin until he got back from where ever it was that he went to. At the same time though, it was nice to have a place, a house, that he could call his own, even if only for a little while.

Spencer waited for Hotch to go to the door before turning off the light and following him. He gently closed the door behind them and slowly locked it with the key.

End


End file.
